A Slip of the Tongue: Wrestling with Faith and Surrender
Timothy Chester explores C.S. Lewis's profound essay "A Slip of the Tongue," reflecting on the tension between spiritual minimalism and true discipleship. This episode invites listeners to consider their own negotiations with faith and the cost of genuine surrender.
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Chapter 1
Introduction to A Slip of the Tongue
Timothy Chester
Today, we’re diving into one of C.S. Lewis’s most quietly convicting essays, “A Slip of the Tongue.” It’s not long, not dramatic, and not well known—but it hits deep.
Timothy Chester
It starts with a mistake. Lewis is praying a familiar Anglican prayer when he fumbles the words. He meant to pray that he might pass through things temporal without losing the things eternal. But instead, he prayed that he might pass through things eternal without losing the things temporal.
Timothy Chester
He laughs at the slip. But then he pauses. Because maybe—it wasn’t a slip at all.
Timothy Chester
Maybe it said something true. About how easy it is to tiptoe around the presence of God, to protect our habits, ambitions, and comforts from what God might ask of us if we truly listened.
Timothy Chester
In this conversation, we’ll unpack Lewis’s reflection on that moment. We’ll talk about why it’s so tempting to settle for spiritual minimalism, what it means to “dabble at the edge of the faith,” and why real discipleship means taking the plunge—even when it’s costly.
Timothy Chester
Whether you’ve read the essay or not, I invite you to listen in, reflect, and wrestle with the same questions Lewis did. Because if we’re honest, many of us are still negotiating with God, trying to pay just enough to avoid surrender.
Timothy Chester
… Let’s talk about that more.